The present invention relates generally to connectors for terminating coaxial cable and more particularly to a coaxial cable connector having a cable gripping feature.
It has long been known to use connectors to terminate coaxial cable so as to connect a cable to various electronic devices such as televisions, radios and the like. Prior art coaxial connectors generally include a connector body having an annular collar for accommodating a coaxial cable, an annular nut rotatably coupled to the collar for providing mechanical attachment of the connector to an external device and an annular post interposed between the collar and the nut. A resilient sealing O-ring may also be positioned between the collar and the nut at the rotatable juncture thereof to provide a water resistant seal thereat. The collar includes a cable receiving end for insertably receiving an inserted coaxial cable and, at the opposite end of the connector body, the nut includes an internally threaded end extent permitting screw threaded attachment of the body to an external device.
This type of coaxial connector further includes a locking sleeve to secure the cable within the body of the coaxial connector. The locking sleeve, which is typically formed of a resilient plastic, is securable to the connector body to secure the coaxial connector thereto. In this regard, the connector body typically includes some form of structure to cooperatively engage the locking sleeve. Such structure may include one or more recesses or detents formed on an inner annular surface of the connector body, which engages cooperating structure formed on an outer surface of the sleeve. A coaxial cable connector of this type is shown and described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,807.
Conventional coaxial cables typically include a center conductor surrounded by an insulator. A conductive foil is disposed over the insulator and a braided conductive shield surrounds the foil covered insulator. An outer insulative jacket surrounds the shield. In order to prepare the coaxial cable for termination, the outer jacket is stripped back exposing an extent of the braided conductive shield which is folded back over the jacket. A portion of the insulator covered by the conductive foil extends outwardly from the jacket and an extent of the center conductor extends outwardly from within the insulator. Upon assembly to a coaxial cable, the annular post is inserted between the foil covered insulator and the conductive shield of the cable.
A problem with current coaxial connectors is that they often do not adequately grip the coaxial shielded cables, particularly with smaller diameter coaxial cables. In particular, current coaxial cable connectors often rely on the post barb as the principal means for providing cable retention. This requires pushing the cable braid and jacket over the barb, thereby expanding the braid and jacket. Such expansion requires increased cable insertion force, making installation more difficult. Moreover, sealing the interior of the connector from outside elements also becomes more challenging with smaller diameter cables.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a coaxial cable connector with structural features to enhance gripping, thereby facilitating cable insertion particularly with smaller diameter cables.